Sunday, March 23, 2014

Don’t you just love one liners that wrap
wisdom and a bit of scolding into and easy to speak statement.I can remember one of my relatives using a
similar version of this when I was young (I’m sure after I said something that
started with I wish…).Now that I’m a grandfather I’m tuning up on
all the great old phrases that make me look wiser than I am.The more common current day version is If wishes were fishes all beggars would eat.I was surprised to find the original version
is part of a Scottish nursery rhyme that goes something like this:

If wishes were horses all beggars would ride

If turnips were swords I’d have
one by my side

If “ifs” and “ands” were pots
and pans

There would be no need for
tinker’s hands

You have to love the internet.It has a way of not only putting the most
esoteric information at your fingertips but at the same time correcting years
of society morphing original culture into modern day sound bites.We can’t even blame this one on texting or the
140 character limit of Twitter since today’s version was established long
before the internet.

So what has this got to do with the Boston
Marathon, marathoning in general, or my efforts at either?I’m glad you asked.Pretty much nothing….and maybe everything.How many of us have a dream, set a goal,
even made a proclamation of what we are going to do and spent more time
thinking and talking about it than actually taking steps to make it real.I know I have.Fear
could be a big part of it.Fear of
failure, fear of criticism, fear of the commitment or fear of just letting go
of what you have to try for something new.There is no question that staying in our comfort zones get in the way of
dreams.

And of course we are great at justifying
our inaction to ourselves.We have that
little voice in our heads that says I’m too busy, too tired, too old, or have
too many other priorities at this point in my life.And he/she always ends with the ultimate
justification….I’ll get to it later.Yeah…right.Between the fear and the
justification it’s a wonder mankind isn’t still back in the stone age.

There’s
a flip side to fear that is also a motivator.The fear of not doing something, of being insignificant, of disappointing
someone, of losing what you already have.It’s that motivation that can
turn the ordinary person into an Olympic track star when they need to escape a
dangerous situation.

I’ve heard lots of reasons why people
run marathons.To prove they can do it,
to improve their health, for the glory of the win, to test their personal
limits, and, in the case of charity runners, to help others.For me the motivation is to remember; or more
specifically not to forget.Committing
to the Boston Marathon assures that at least once a year I will do something
that not only reminds me of Nick but allows me to fund a charity in his name
that will keep his memory alive.Why do
this by running a marathon, and in particular one where you have to work to
qualify every year?Partially because Nick
loved athletic challenges and loved to live life large. But
mostly the fear of forgetting my son far outweighs the fears of not finishing
and requalifying, or the fear of getting
injured, or the struggles to train in the cold weather or the aches and pains
of old age.The side benefits of better
health, helping others, and eating all the ice cream I want aren’t bad either.

Let’s face it, sometimes no amount of effort
is going to make a wish come true.Short
of discovering time travel that certainly is the case for me.In the interim, I run marathons and along
the way, through the generosity of those who support me, hopefully make other people’s wishes and
dreams come true.So here is my version
of the Scottish nursery rhyme.It will
even fit in a Tweet.

If wishes were fishes all the world
would be fed

If dreaming made it happen we’d all stay
in bed

If words were the answer then
all dreams would come trueTurn wishes and dreams into things that
we do

Sunday, March 2, 2014

When I was
younger I use to think 60 was really old.Now that I’ve arrived I realize I was right.It’s not that I think of myself as old(on a good day my wife would say I’m mentally
an adolescent)it’s just that my body
keeps reminding me.That’s particularly
true when I’m out marathon training.There are days when I just feel like an old car that still runs but the chassis
is sagging, the shocks are shot, the headlights aren’t very bright and it makes
a wheezing sound when it’s going uphill.While it still runs, there is no longer a 4th gear (or even a
third gear), having a full tank of gas has a whole different meaning, and I
carry a lot more junk in the trunk.One
positive is the neighborhood dogs no longer chase me since my exhaust rendered
them unconscious.

I can still get out and do a creative
imitation of running but I miss the old days when you would just glide along
the roads with the wind blowing through your hair (heck…I miss the hair too).These
days I think the correct definition for my style of running is “plodding”.I was running through a neighborhood the
other day and a man walking his dog passed me by and asked if running in place
was a new form of exercise.

So while
Father Time has been beating me around the body with the old age stick, I
expected Mother Nature to swoop in and give an old man a break.Not likely.Going out for this morning’s long run (18+ miles) I was greeted with a balmy
6 degrees.When
it’s that cold you not only have to work harder to breath, but the pavement is
less forgiving on the legs and the inevitable sweat tends to freeze to your
mustache, eyebrows and any exposed skin.Oh yeah, and the water bottle freezes to a semi-solid slush that gives
you brain freeze when you drink.I
guess I should be thankful; it was 2 degrees when I went out the other
day.

Cold, while
difficult, is a minor annoyance when compared with snow.The lack of traction on snow covered roads
makes forward progress twice as difficult.Given how slow I’m already going I have nightmares that I may find
myself going backward in time.Add to
this the risk of muscle injury (you use totally different muscles trying not to
slip), the risk of stepping in hidden potholes and of course staying out of the
way of the ever present but woefully ill equipped winter drivers.While over the years I’ve gotten use to the
idea of running in the snow in Boston, it is a whole different experience in PA
where plowing the roads to payment is an occasional experience.

If you read
this far I appreciate that you have been kind enough to put up with my
venting.I suspect Father Time is a
strict parent and I don’t expect much help from him.But I’m putting in a special request to
Mother Nature to ease up and take pity on an old man.If not for me, for the poor flowers and
trees that may not see spring till sometime in June.

Nick Loved Snowboarding

Much better than running

Help in the Nick of Time Foundation

Help in the Nick of Time is a charity set up in the memory of our son Nick who loved sports and helping people. The goal of the organization is to work through local charity organizations to direct assistance to single parent families facing short term needs to help them get back on their feet. Donations can be made at the link below through the ECCF. Simply click on the link below, and where it says PLEASE CHOOSE FROM THE FOLLOWING FUNDS: , click on the arrow next to the field and scroll down the list and select Help in the Nick of Time.

About Me

Life is a series of shared experiences that together define who we are and the impact we have on other lives.
This is all about one of those experiences I would like to share with others in the hope it touches and enhances their lives. At a minimum it should provide some entertaining moments.